Up Close And Personal With Blue's Ducan James
Can you remember the day you got signed? What was running through your mind?
Yeah, it was the 12th September - the day before my Grandmother’s birthday, god rest her soul. It was a really important day for me because I’d lost my Grandmother just six months before, and it was a very happy day because I’d been working for so long to try and get that lucrative record deal… and then I was actually in Virgin Records signing a bit of paper, and it was a sense of achievement because for the previous three years I was in other bands trying to make it. My Grandmother always used to say, “Duncan, you shouldn’t be doing this stupid job, you should be a doctor!”. And I used to say (smiling), “but I don’t want to be a doctor!”… And she would say “Well it’s better than that stupid profession you want to get in to!”. And it’s a shame that she never got to see me doing the whole Blue thing, but I believe that she’s with me… her and Grandpa looking down. So I’ve got to say thanks to them because they’ve helped me through this whole journey, and helped me sign that deal.
What were your first impressions on meeting the rest of the band?
Well I’d known all the boys before which was quite weird. I met Lee and Simon in an audition for another band when we all got down to the last ten. They were the same as they are now – Si was quite cool, quite quiet… Lee was like, “Alright mate? D’ya wanna game of pool?” And I remember playing a game of pool with Lee and thinking he was a geezer! I knew Anth ony from the last band that I was in, just on the whole North London Jewish scene – I lived with a guy who was Jewish and was in my band… He used to go out to this place called the G-Spot in Golders Green, and Anthony used to be there with his dad and we used to sing Karaoke, so me and Ant became friends then. So to be in a band with all these people that I’d known before was very special, it was a good thing.
Can you tell us about the other auditions where you met Simon and Lee? What were they for?
They were for East/West records – they were putting together another band just after Another Level had split up. They wanted to do a new band like Another Level straight away… So that’s where I met Simon and Lee because we all got down to the last ten.
Did you have any idea that you’d be as big as you are?
No, I don’t think anyone has an idea of how successful they’re going to be. And it’s very hard these days to put out a sing le and make it work… but we came through at the right time – Five had just split up and I think timing in general was a key feature in the success of Blue. The fans helped a lot too; they supported us right from the start.
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Casting your mind back, we'll just do a quick run through of your career. Going back right from the very start, can you remember your very first impressions meeting the other lads?
My very first impression of meeting the other lads was actually back in '99 when I met Lee and Duncan at an audition, we were down to the last 11 in for a boy band. I walked in to a r oom, to my left I clocked Lee playing pool, and he was being loud and trying to have a laugh and all that. What I remember about going to an audition is that people don't speak to each other. They just look at each other, like trying to suss each other out, seeing if they have a good voice or the right look. Lee was kind of loud and a bit small and a bit plumpish as well at the time! I looked at him and he came straight over to me and said "Alright mate, how's things?" I was like, yeah! I didn't expect it, he was like really forward and he was like shaking my hand. I remember seeing Duncan with his legs crossed and he had his head down and someone was talking to him and they were just acknowledging what they were saying. My first impression was I thought 'he's a cool dude', I like him already and I haven't even spoken to him yet! That's when I met those two and then I met Anthony a couple of years later and it was just a mutual handshake. He was going through some bad stuff with his girlfriend at the time and I remember saying to him, 'Never let a girl come between you and your family, man' and he was like 'yeah man, nice one bruv'. From the first handshake the respect was there and we have got on ever since.
Do you think you have been emotionally supportive of each other or is it just lads having a laugh? Has it gone a bit deeper than that?
Yeah, most definitely because over the four years, when we first started it was kind of like, when we cast our minds back I think one of the best times that we had was when nobody knew who we were. People knew when we were out on the town that we were a boy band then no one really cared. We were out in nightclubs, having a laugh, 3 or 4 girls with us and stuff like that. Then when the band starting rising the pressure starting piling on and then it was a bit surreal for us then, it was like 'whooah'! We are getting stopped in the street now and you have got to watch what you say and ju st be a bit more courteous because whether I say something, it's going to reflect on the band. From then I was always the quiet one and I was classed as the moody token black boy so to speak. That wasn't actually the case because we were actually mates and we looked at each other and said 'look man, we've got the right image let's give it a go.' Luckily for us Five had split at the time and we were possibly the only boy band around with a bit of edge. It was just Westlife when 'All Rise' went in at No.4, 'Too Close' No.1, 'Come Back' No.1, 'Flyby' No. 6, album went straight to No. 1 from No. 20 which was amazing.
You make it sound so easy, that there was this band and it was just us. But it's very competitive industry.
Yes, it is very competitive, but we tend really not to look at anyone else because we are doing what we're doing. If other bands want to look at us and want to say something about us… oh actually A1, we had a little bit of a feud but tha t was about it.
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What were your first impressions on meeting the other lads?
I met Anthony first out of everyone. We got on as soon as I saw him. We kept in touch and I kept saying 'we must go out for a drink with each ot her' and we never actually got round to doing it but we did keep in touch which was cool and then I met Duncan and Simon at the same time. I remember when Simon walked in and I remember when Duncan walked into this audition and then I got Simon's number and kept in touch with him and I called him to ask him to come down from Manchester. Come down to London and we'll all chill out. And then he came down and stayed with me and then we got the audition for Blue and I pulled him in and asked him to have a go and then we got signed.
What did you think of them when you first met them all?
Yes, we got on like a house on fire, got on straight away.
How would you describe the various characters in the band?
Anthony is like the funny, jokey one. He can't keep a straight face. We're pretty much all the same, me and Duncan are really spiritual and we can go on really deep ones together about life and stuff like that. Simon's the same. We are all good friends and we've all got similar types of personalities.
What are the best things and worst things about being in Blue?
I'll start with the worst things. The worst thing about being in Blue is people expect a lot of you, people expect you to put up with a lot of their bullshit if they are being rude just because we're in a band.
The best thing about being in Blue is living out your dreams and being with four lads that I really do love and respect, and the fans. The love that you get from all the fans is amazing. It goes deeper than a lot of people think. You realise that you live people's dreams and that you are actually helping a lot of people, especially young people, who may be going through drug abuse or physical abuse, or even just the stress of growing up as a teenager, and you speak to the fans across the world and they all say the same things you know. They are fans of Blue because music helps them and I think it helps to be a part of that. That's a godsend you know, it's a blessing.
Is there any one song that you are more proud of than any others you have written?
'Breathe Easy', but then again, no because I have written a lot of songs that nobody has heard. I do a lot of writing. The biggest song I wrote took me a year and a half to write and that was pretty cool. Otherwise in the studio I am working on stuff by myself, nothing solo particularly, just because I love music and that's where I spend most of my time, in the studio. And I've done this one tune with like a gospel choir and a 20 piece orchestra.
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AJÁNLOM AZ OLDALT
